Golf roundup: Victory worth the wait for Villegas

When Camilo Villegas finished his final round in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., he was hoping to get into a playoff.

Instead, every other contender stumbled, and the Colombian didn’t have to hit another shot to win his first PGA Tour title since 2010.

Villegas shot a 7-under 63 and finished at 17-under 263. He earned $954,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points in the final regular-season event.

Villegas had four birdies and an eagle on the front nine, added a birdie on the par-5 15th and watched the rest of the tournament from the air-conditioned scorer’s tent with his caddie.

"I was hoping for a playoff," Villegas said. "I thought I needed one more [stroke]."

Turns out, he didn’t. When the rest of the field struggled late, he wound up with his fourth PGA Tour title.

He also became the second first-round leader to win the tournament since its 2008 move back to Sedgefield Country Club and first since Arjun Atwal in 2010.

Villegas had to wait about 40 minutes after his round ended before his victory was secure. He closed his round with three straight pars, tapping in from 2 feet on 18 and hoping it was good enough.

"When the boys got closer to the last hole, you can get a little anxious," Villegas said. "You don’t have a golf club in your hand. You can’t really control it."

INBEE PARK REPEATS: South Korea’s Inbee Park successfully defended her title at the LPGA Championship, beating Brittany Lincicome on the first hole of a playoff Sunday to end the United States’ major streak at three.

On the playoff hole, the par-4 18th at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y., Park hit her second into the rough behind the hole. Lincicome hit her approach to the left fringe, nearly identical to her position on the final hole of regulation when she made a bogey to fall into the playoff.

Lincicome chipped 6 feet past the hole and failed to convert for bogey. Park, the winner last year in a playoff with Catriona Matthew, chipped to 3 feet and sank her par putt for her fifth major title and fourth in the past two seasons.

Americans won the first three majors of for the first time since 1999. Lexi Thompson began the run at Kraft Nabisco, Michelle Wie won the U.S. Open and Mo Martin the British Open.

NO. 5 FOR LANGER: Bernhard Langer rallied to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y., for his fifth Champions Tour victory of the year. Kevin Sutherland followed his tour-record 59 with a 74 to tie for seventh.

The 56-year-old Langer played all 54 holes without a bogey, closing with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Woody Austin and Mark O’Meara. Langer finished at 16-under 200 at En-Joie for his 23rd career victory on the 50-and-over tour.

BRIEFS: South Korea’s Gunn Yang, No. 776 in the world amateur rankings , completed his improbable run to the U.S. Amateur title with a 2-and-1 victory over Canada’s Corey Conners in Johns Creek, Ga. … Scotland’s Marc Warren won the Made in Denmark tournament for his third European Tour title, beating Wales’ Bradley Dredge by two strokes.

Golf roundup: Victory worth the wait for Villegas

When Camilo Villegas finished his final round in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., he was hoping to get into a playoff.

Instead, every other contender stumbled, and the Colombian didn’t have to hit another shot to win his first PGA Tour title since 2010.

Villegas shot a 7-under 63 and finished at 17-under 263. He earned $954,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points in the final regular-season event.

Villegas had four birdies and an eagle on the front nine, added a birdie on the par-5 15th and watched the rest of the tournament from the air-conditioned scorer’s tent with his caddie.

"I was hoping for a playoff," Villegas said. "I thought I needed one more [stroke]."

Turns out, he didn’t. When the rest of the field struggled late, he wound up with his fourth PGA Tour title.

He also became the second first-round leader to win the tournament since its 2008 move back to Sedgefield Country Club and first since Arjun Atwal in 2010.

Villegas had to wait about 40 minutes after his round ended before his victory was secure. He closed his round with three straight pars, tapping in from 2 feet on 18 and hoping it was good enough.

"When the boys got closer to the last hole, you can get a little anxious," Villegas said. "You don’t have a golf club in your hand. You can’t really control it."

INBEE PARK REPEATS: South Korea’s Inbee Park successfully defended her title at the LPGA Championship, beating Brittany Lincicome on the first hole of a playoff Sunday to end the United States’ major streak at three.

On the playoff hole, the par-4 18th at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y., Park hit her second into the rough behind the hole. Lincicome hit her approach to the left fringe, nearly identical to her position on the final hole of regulation when she made a bogey to fall into the playoff.

Lincicome chipped 6 feet past the hole and failed to convert for bogey. Park, the winner last year in a playoff with Catriona Matthew, chipped to 3 feet and sank her par putt for her fifth major title and fourth in the past two seasons.

Americans won the first three majors of for the first time since 1999. Lexi Thompson began the run at Kraft Nabisco, Michelle Wie won the U.S. Open and Mo Martin the British Open.

NO. 5 FOR LANGER: Bernhard Langer rallied to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y., for his fifth Champions Tour victory of the year. Kevin Sutherland followed his tour-record 59 with a 74 to tie for seventh.

The 56-year-old Langer played all 54 holes without a bogey, closing with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Woody Austin and Mark O’Meara. Langer finished at 16-under 200 at En-Joie for his 23rd career victory on the 50-and-over tour.

BRIEFS: South Korea’s Gunn Yang, No. 776 in the world amateur rankings , completed his improbable run to the U.S. Amateur title with a 2-and-1 victory over Canada’s Corey Conners in Johns Creek, Ga. … Scotland’s Marc Warren won the Made in Denmark tournament for his third European Tour title, beating Wales’ Bradley Dredge by two strokes.